Investors should consider social well-being of local population

On Tuesday, the Somali community in Juba, through the South Sudan Islamic Council, bailed out seven inmates who have completed the terms of their jail sentences at Juba Central Prison.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Somali Business Community, Abdullah Hassan Ali, said they have paid the charges of the seven prisoners to secure their release.

He said the release of the inmates was just the beginning and that there are plans to clear charges for more inmates at the facility.

According to the Deputy Director of Juba prison, Bak Anyar Longor, the charges for the inmates are arranged from SSP 50,000 and below each inmate.

Even though the Somali business community only managed to bail out seven inmates, it is this great work of humanity that should be appreciated by the citizens. Imagine that those inmates are not in any way related to them, but they still made their little contribution and paid for their release.

We have locals and foreigners who are doing business and a few of them have the heart to pay back to the community. We have witnessed before and during the Easter festive season how some private institutions, such as the Rak Media Group, Trinity Energy, and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) donated to the local communities, especially to the destitute groups like the orphans and the sick.

These are the services that make the local communities feel the importance of the presence of the private sector among them. Much as the purpose of the private is to provide services, which they, in turn, get profits, it is important to give some of them back to the communities they work with. This would create brand loyalty and ensure that such companies have unfettered access to the markets because of their good deeds. We have recently seen Trinity Energy providing free medical services to the needy at Juba Teaching Hospital to have a healthy and productive society, which is necessary for the growth of the economy. It is based on the argument that one cannot be productive if he or she is sick or hungry.

However, other companies have made zero contributions to the social well-being of the communities in the country. These are the companies that invest in the importation of destructive consumable goods such as alcohol and cigarettes, which are harmful to human health.  Unfortunately, they don’t give back to the communities as part of their contribution to the vulnerable people, save for the few jobs they create.